


Short Accounts

by Kalkasar (Mordhena)



Category: Enterprise - Fandom
Genre: Episode: s01e24 Desert Crossing, Fix-It, Gross mismanagement, Introspection, M/M, Missing Scene, Reflection, Self-Reflection, What Were You Thinking?, field medicine, introspective Jonathan Archer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27183041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mordhena/pseuds/Kalkasar
Summary: Desert Crossing and Archer's gross mismanagement of Trip's illness. I neededto write something to explain why he lost sight of his training to that extent.
Relationships: Jonathan Archer/Charles "Trip" Tucker III
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Short Accounts

"Commander Tucker will make a full recovery, Captain." Doctor Phlox turned to look at Jonathan archer. His face was grim, lacking the usual good-natured expression. "But that is due to good luck rather than good management I should say." The Denobulan frowned and Jonathan lowered his gaze.  
  
He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, not knowing what to say. "I guess I lost it down there, Doctor," he said. "I was so caught up with just getting us out of there that I wasn't thinking straight."  
  
"Well, no permanent harm is done." Phlox turned back to look at his sleeping patient. "I was thinking it might be a good idea if I were to give the crew, including yourself, a basic grounding in field medicine." The Doctor smiled for the first time. "Can't do any harm, can it?"  
  
Jonathan nodded. "That would probably be a good idea." He glanced at Trip, then met the doctor's eyes. "Do you mind if I sit with him a while?"  
  
"Of course." Phlox waved the captain to a seat and made to withdraw but Jon stopped him. "Please stay, Doctor. I... I'd like to talk about this."  
  
Easing himself down on the chair, Jonathan touched Charles Tucker's hand. "I'm sorry." The captain couldn't believe what an idiot he'd been.  
  
"Perhaps talking about it will help," he said, encouraging the captain with a small nod when the man met his eyes.  
  
"Trip didn't want to go on the away mission." Thinking back to their survival training in Australia Jon shook his head. _I should have known better than to push him_ , he thought "He tried to remind me that he doesn't cope well in extremes of temperature."  
  
_"A desert, sir? The heat, the dry air. You know how it sucks the life outta me."  
  
"What about the two weeks we spent in Australia? We had a great time."  
  
"Survival trainin' in the outback, drinkin' recycled sweat and eatin' snake meat; that's your idea of a great time?"  
_  
"He tried to talk me out of it, but I had to push him until he agreed to go."  
  
"It wasn't so bad while we were in Zobrals encampment. The food was good, and Trip put away enough of it to feed two men. Of course, he excelled himself at the game of Geskana. Trip is a competitive man by nature. He wouldn't have got to the position he holds now if he weren't. That's one of the qualities I have always admired in him. That and the fact that he knows his limits."  
  
Jon paused a moment at that thought and raised his eyes to the sleeping man's face. "He knows his limits…and by pushing him beyond them on that desert planet I almost got him killed.  
  
"Hell... I overheard one of the crew mention that I should have just taken Trip down there, marched him into the desert and shot him - it would have 'been more merciful and saved time,' she said. That has a painful edge of truth to it."  
  
"Well, it is easy to be critical from the outside of a situation," Phlox murmured.  
  
"No. In a sense she is right," Jon replied. "When the bombardment started we decided it wasn't safe to stay where we were. Trip said he'd rather take his chances in the desert than to stay there. It was night. So we grabbed some supplies from the shuttle pod and headed for the desert."  
  
"We walked through the night. As best I could tell we were heading in the right direction for an abandoned encampment I saw on the way in." Jon sighed. "We should've stopped once the sun came up. I know the basics of survival. I know better than to walk in the heat of the day in a desert. Our water ran out. I didn't think to ration it…" Archer scoffed. "We expected Enterprise to find us and pick us up."  
  
"You had every reason to expect that. The ship was in orbit after all. You were not to know that we would encounter the difficulties we did in evacuating you from the planet."  
  
"It's not enough, Phlox. This sort of thing is supposed to be second nature: 'Always plan for any eventuality.' That's what Commander Johansson told us. He drummed it into our heads every day for two weeks: 'Never assume anything.' I made just about every mistake I could make, Doctor."  
  
"There were some good elements," Phlox said. "You tried to rehydrate him. Kept him alert…"  
  
"Yeah," Jon got to his feet, pacing a little. "And let him run a fever of 105 without doing anything to try and bring it down!"  
  
"Realistically, what could you have done?" Phlox moved around the sickbay attending to experiments as he listened to Archer.  
  
"I could have used some of that water we found to sponge him down. OK so it was tainted water, not much good for drinking, but it would have been all right to use externally. Why didn't I think to even soak his shirt in it and cool him that way?"  
  
Phlox stopped what he was doing and turned to look at the captain. "Captain Archer, if I may be so bold. Perhaps it was because where Commander Tucker is concerned, you demonstrate a distinct lack of emotional detachment."  
  
Archer met the doctor's eyes sharply. "I beg your pardon?"  
  
"Oh it's nothing to be ashamed of," Phlox said jovially. "I am sure I would be the same where one of my wives were concerned. However, it is something to be… aware of."  
  
Jon let out a breath and resumed his seat by Trip's side. He knew Phlox was right. when it came to Trip, he did lack detachment. "Yeah," he said simply.  
  
The truth of it was that he panicked. When Trip passed out, virtually at his feet, Jon's mind when into overdrive.

All he could think of was to get the man to shelter: _Get the victim into shade or a cool room as soon as possible._ Right - that was a part of the procedure. Jon frowned. Beyond that though, his mind had refused to function coherently. He pushed water on the younger man:  
  
_"Go ahead." He held the water canteen to Trip's mouth.  
  
"No sir, I won't take another man's water." Trip shook his head weakly.  
  
"You drink now. That's an order."  
  
"No. We gotta keep moving…" The commander struggled to get to his feet.  
  
"You drink it... or I'll knock you on your ass and pour it down your throat!"  
  
Trip stopped resisting and drank the last few precious drops of water. _  
  
_Then it began again. The agonizing shuffling through the endless expanse of sand. Trip could barely stand, and Jonathan supported his weight across his shoulders. The heat radiating from the younger man's body was intense. Fever raged. Trip stumbled along, eyes closed, head down. His breath was harsh, rapid and uneven.  
  
Jon urged him onward, half dragging him through the relentless heat and sun. _

  
  
After a moment, the captain looked up and met Phlox' eyes. "Are my feelings for him really that obvious?"  
  
"Perhaps not to anyone else." Phlox smiled as he turned from studying a specimen. "I have made observing the reactions of various species my focus, Captain. I see things others might easily miss."  
  
Jonathan nodded. He could accept that, but he was left wondering if Trip had ever guessed what was behind his motives sometimes. He turned his gaze to Trip watching as his chest rose and fell with his breathing. At least now, that breathing was regular and easy.

Not the harsh, rasping breaths that had punctuated their conversation back there in that abandoned hut.  
  
_"Commander!" Jon nudged Trip's arm, jolting him awake.  
  
"Hi, Cap'n…"  
  
"The warp reactor; break it down for me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"What are the eight major components?"  
  
"You gotta be kidding me…" Trip let his head fall weakly back against the pillar he leaned against; his eyes slid shut and he began to drift once more.  
  
"Name them! That's an order!"_

  
  
Jonathan sighed. He had known that Trip's condition was worsening, but the engineer's nonsensical response to his command only proved it. The captain remembered the cold fingers of fear that clutched his heart. He had done everything he could think of to get Trip to focus. Playing games, asking him what he would like to eat, anything to keep him from slipping into unconsciousness.  
  
So, the day that Jon had planned to be a pleasant getaway for himself and Trip had turned into a nightmare.

Jon bitterly recalled Trip's words to him as they stumbled into the meagre shade of the dilapidated shelter.  
  
_"Now this… is my idea… of a great time…"_

  
  
Jon grunted and stood up. "I've taken up enough of your time, Doctor," he said as he moved towards the door. "Let me know if there's any change."  
  
"Certainly," Phlox replied blandly, turning back to his experiments after a quick glance at his patient.  
  
Jon stepped out of the sickbay and made his away along the corridor to a lift. He sighed as he stepped inside and sent the lift to the bridge. Trip was alive. Even if he, Jon, couldn't truly be thanked for that mercy.  
  
Once his friend awoke there would be time to talk this all through and work it out. Jon shook his head. He had a feeling that Trip would, as usual, be all too willing to forgive and let it pass. That was his way; he rarely held grudges, and when he did he was anxious to clear the air as soon as possible. He called it, 'keepin' short accounts.'  
  
Captain Archer stepped onto the bridge of his ship and moved to his chair. He'd never met anyone quite like Charles 'Trip' Tucker III, and he had every intention of making sure the young man was in his life for a long time to come. He smiled at Travis as the navigator turned to look at him, awaiting orders.  
  
"Lay in a course for Risa, Ensign,"  
  
"Aye, sir!" Travis turned to his controls with a grin.  
  
"Let's go."  
  



End file.
